Formula 1 stewards alter the Miami Grand Prix sprint race grid after issuing a penalty to Alex Albon for a track limits violation during qualifying. Lando Norris secures pole position unscathed following an investigation into his session performance.

Norris Retains Pole After Stewards’ Review

Norris edges out championship leader Kimi Antonelli for top spot in sprint qualifying on Friday. Officials investigate the McLaren driver for exceeding the race director’s maximum lap time limit of 1:48.000 during the cool-down lap in SQ2.

After reviewing submissions from Norris and a McLaren representative, stewards accept the explanation. Norris aimed to stay within the limit until an overtake forced him to slow down, creating space for a flying lap. No further action follows.

Albon Penalized for Late-Detected Breach

Albon advances to SQ2 initially, but stewards later confirm he exceeded track limits at turn six on his fastest SQ1 lap. The violation goes unnoticed until SQ2 begins, denying Liam Lawson—SQ1’s top knockout—a chance to progress.

Stewards delete Albon’s SQ1 lap time and all SQ2 times, dropping the Williams driver from 14th to 19th on the grid. They state: “During SQ1, Car 23 [Albon] clearly exceeded track limits in turn six. However this was not reported to the stewards until SQ2 had commenced. At the time the stewards were informed that Car 23 had left the track and that its lap should have been potentially deleted, it was already on track in SQ2. As this was an unusual situation, the Stewards have decided to settle the matter by deleting the lap time of the lap in question in SQ1. As Car 23 should not have proceeded into SQ2, all lap times from SQ2 will consequently be deleted.”

Precedent and Impact on Lawson

This decision mirrors last year’s Bahrain incident, where Nico Hulkenberg received identical punishment for a delayed track limits call.

Lawson and Racing Bulls miss a better starting position. The team keeps Lawson in the car post-SQ2 start, awaiting news on potential disqualifications, indicating early awareness of Albon’s issue.